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It’s a good time to reflect on this serious illness and how we can take action to reduce or eliminate its impact on ourselves and our community.

Did you know 1 in 12 Asian Americans has hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a serious infection which affects the liver, but may not show symptoms or cause illness in a person for many years. If left untreated, about 1 in 4 people will develop liver complications such as liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. Still, abut 2 in 3 Asian Americans with hepatitis B do not know they are infected.

Who should get tested for hepatitis B?

People from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Pacific Islands, the Middle East and the Amazon Basin

People with parents from the above areas, and were not vaccinated as children

Those who live with a person who has chronic hepatitis B

Pregnant women

Healthcare workers

Injection drug users

Men who have sex with men

What can we do?

If you do not know your hepatitis B status and your family is from a part of the world where hepatitis B is common, ask your primary care provider to test you for hepatitis B. Many people who need it, have not had this test yet. There is a very effective vaccine for hepatitis B that can protect people without the virus. For those that have chronic hepatitis B, there are treatments that can prevent or delay liver disease.

Talk to your family about hepatitis B and encourage others to get tested and vaccinated. Knowing your hepatitis B status and is the best way to protect yourself and your family.

To learn more about hepatitis B visit:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention : http://www.cdc.gov/knowhepatitisB

Founded in 1973, ICHS is a non-profit community health center offering affordable primary medical and dental care, acupuncture, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health WIC, and health education services. ICHS’ four full-service medical and dental clinics — located in Seattle’s International District and Holly Park neighborhoods; and in the cities of Bellevue and Shoreline — serve over 20,000 patients each year. As the only community health center in Washington primarily serving Asians and Pacific Islanders, ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically underserved communities by providing affordable and in-language health care. For more information, please visit: www.ichs.com

International Community Health Services (ICHS) welcomed recently two new dentists who both hope to gain valuable clinical experience in a community health care setting through a new dental residency program.

Drs. Carol Lin and Camille Pompeo both expressed appreciation as they started work at the ICHS Shoreline Dental Clinic, and said they look forward to providing the best care they can to their patients.

The dentists came to ICHS through the New York University-Lutheran Medical Center Dental Medicine Advanced Education in General Dentistry (NYU-LMC AEGD) Residency Program. The program allows dental residents to advance their skills in general dentistry at select clinical sites in the country.

“We are very excited to be part of this program and to welcome Dr. Lin and Dr. Pompeo because we need to expose more dental professionals to the special joys and challenges of providing care in community health care settings,” said Dr. Ji Choi, ICHS dental director. “We hope we can help hone their skills working with a large and diverse population that we have here at ICHS.”

The dental residents will practice at ICHS for the next two years.

“I am looking forward to my ICHS residency and excited to start learning from my mentors,” said Dr. Pompeo, who received her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from University of the Pacific Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco.

“ICHS clinics are in high demand and the number of patients served is growing rapidly, so I believe I can make a difference here, too,” she said.

Dr. Lin, who received her DDS degree from the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of University of Southern California, said starting the residency program has not been without challenge, but she hopes to learn the ropes quickly and make a difference in her patients’ oral health.

“I feel like I am creating positive impact to the community and at the same time learning how to balance between perfectionism with realism,” she said. “I hope things will come eventually with more clinical experience.”

Photo Caption: Dr. Carol Lin (second from left) and Dr. Camille Pompeo (third from left) were recently welcomed by ICHS CEO Teresita Batayola (left) and Dr. Ji Choi , ICHS dental director (right), as the two dental residents began their practice at ICHS Shoreline Dental Clinic. The two came to ICHS through the New York University-Lutheran Medical Center Dental Medicine Advanced Education in General Dentistry (NYU-LMC AEGD) Residency Program.

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About ICHSFounded in 1973, ICHS is a non-profit community health center offering affordable primary medical and dental care, acupuncture, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health WIC, and health education services. ICHS’ four full-service medical and dental clinics — located in Seattle’s International District and Holly Park neighborhoods; and in the cities of Bellevue and Shoreline — serve over 20,000 patients each year. As the only community health center in Washington primarily serving Asians and Pacific Islanders, ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically underserved communities by providing affordable and in-language health care. For more information, please visit: www.ichs.com

Check out the welcoming new signs that are greeting patients and staff at ICHS Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic!

The signs, which were installed on Saturday (July 18), aim to improve the visibility and appearance of the clinic, while upholding our branding goals. The signs replaced the old ones which had the old logo.

The signs were designed by David Owen Hastings and we worked with Studio 3 Signs www.studio3signs.com for permitting, demo, repair fabrication and installation.

We hope you soon get the chance to see the beautiful new signs at the ICHS Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic.

Three future leaders of the health care community will be sharing their knowledge, while receiving exposure to community-based health care, at ICHS as this year’s GE-NMF Primary Care Leadership Program scholars.

The three, who will be at ICHS during the summer, are:

— Katie Cho, who is studying to be a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University. She will be based at the Bellevue Clinic.

— Desiree Martinez, who is studying to be a Physician Assistant at The University of Texas – Pan American. She will be based at the International District Clinic.

— Temesgen Woldeyesus, a medical student at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He will be based at the Holly Park Clinic.

The GE-NMF Primary Care Leadership Program is an innovative service learning program that provides students the opportunity to examine the challenges and rewards of primary care practice at community health centers. ICHS is among the partner health centers across the country where scholars are placed.

“It’s very exciting to be part of this program because it provides a great opportunity to learn more about health care delivery in a community health center setting,” Woldeyesus said.

Cho said she already feels welcomed by ICHS and the community. “I really love being in this community, and I’m impressed at how the clinics are so well run,” she said.

Martinez said she’s looking forward to rolling up her sleeves and getting to work. “I am very excited to meet with people from all walks of life here,” she said.

Here are excerpts from personal essays that the scholars wrote:

“Being able to work in an under privileged environment has always been a dream and priority of mine. Coming from a low-income family, my health care was always provided by the government. This humbling experience allowed me to appreciate those who delivered the great service although I could not afford to pay a penny of it and it has driven me to want to do the same.” — Desiree Martinez

“My previous PCLP experience was very reassuring of the passion I have to serve in underserved and poverty stricken areas… Being selected for a second PCLP experience will continue my growth by exposure and further narrow how and where I would practice (rural vs. urban).” — Temesgen Woldeyesus

“Growing up in less privileged communities with immigrant parents unable to afford health insurance, I have firsthand knowledge of how social status limits health resources and attention. Witnessing such disparities drive me to work towards a health care system that is unbiased and all encompassing.” — Katie Cho

About ICHSFounded in 1973, ICHS is a non-profit community health center offering affordable primary medical and dental care, acupuncture, laboratory, pharmacy, behavioral health WIC, and health education services. ICHS’ four full-service medical and dental clinics — located in Seattle’s International District and Holly Park neighborhoods; and in the cities of Bellevue and Shoreline — serve over 20,000 patients each year. As the only community health center in Washington primarily serving Asians and Pacific Islanders, ICHS provides care in over 50 languages and dialects annually. ICHS is committed to improving the health of medically underserved communities by providing affordable and in-language health care. For more information, please visit: www.ichs.com

ICHS staff played a hand in creating the beautiful mural now installed behind the American Hotel, on 6th and Weller, in the heart of the International District.

Volunteers, including a number of ICHS staff, helped paint the colorful mural as part of the activities for the 2015 Chinatown-International District Spring Clean-Up, organized by the Seattle Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDPA), on April 25.

The mural celebrates the history, color, vibrance, and diversity of our community.

Thanks again to everyone who volunteered their time and energy for the Spring Clean-Up, and shared their creativity in painting the mural. Check out and admire their wonderful work!

International Community Health Services (ICHS) has released ICHS 2025: A 10 Year Strategic Plan (ICHS 2025), which will help ICHS navigate a rapidly changing economic and health care environment with a goal of successfully meeting the communities’ health and wellness needs.

Adopted by the ICHS Board of Directors, ICHS 2025 will guide ICHS in continuing to deliver affordable, high-quality health care services, especially to our target populations of disadvantaged and underserved communities, while continuing to operate as a viable, vibrant, and dynamic organization.

ICHS 2025 focuses on 10-year goals known as ICHS-Q, which stands for Infrastructure, Customer Services, Human Investment, Sustainability, and Quality.

“ICHS 2025 is unique in covering 10 years, unlike past strategic plans that only covered half that time period,” said Gildas Cheung, president of the ICHS Board of Directors. “We decided to pursue a longer period for the strategic plan to go beyond the current trends and challenges, and deliberately connect ICHS’ work on our patients health to addressing our communities’ health status.”

Jeshmin Bhaju, behavioral health provider, sent out a message a few days ago asking for support for efforts to help bring food, water, shelter and medicine to survivors of the major earthquake in Nepal. (Another large tremor hit the country two weeks after the first earthquake). “You may have heard of the earthquake that struck Nepal over the weekend,” she wrote. “This massive earthquake has resulted in utter devastation to the city where I grew up. My country and my people need your help. Every penny counts!”

A big thank you to ICHS team members for taking part in the 2015 Chinatown-International District Spring Clean-Up!

The Seattle Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDPDA) invited ICHS to take part in their 2015 Chinatown-International District SpringClean–Up, which was held on Saturday, April 25.

Dozens of volunteers turned out for the event. The ICHS team was assigned to paint murals that will eventually hang at the American Hotel.

Our sincere appreciation to everyone who volunteered their time and energy for this very worthwhile event! Our community is cleaner and more beautiful than ever because of your efforts!

Bob Santos (affectionately called “Uncle Bob”), one of the driving forces in establishing ICHS and is a widely recognized and admired leader of the Asian Pacific Islander community in Washington, will hold a conversation with community members in connection with the launch of his new book, “Gang of Four: Four Leaders. Four Communities. One Friendship.”

“A Conversation with Gang of Four Member Bob Santos and others” will he held starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 29, at Nagomi Tea House, 519 Sixth Ave. S., Seattle, 98014.

Co-written by Gary Iwamoto, the book tells of Seattle’s “Gang of Four” — Bernie Whitebear, Larry Gossett, Roberto Maestas, and Santos — and how they changed the face of the city in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s by bringing together a powerful alliance of four ethnic communities to battle the local and state power brokers for racial and civil rights and social justice. Autographed books will be available for sale.

The free event is co-sponsored by Interim Community Development Association and Kinokuniya Books.